Smart Aviation Airlifts Russian Shark Attack Victims in Egypt

When the Russian tourists who were attacked by sharks in Egypt last week needed emergency medical aid, Cairo-based charter operator Smart Aviation came to the rescue with air ambulance-configured Citation Sovereigns.

"We took the people from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo, and we're going to be taking them back to Moscow," said Tarek Fouad, Smart's manager, commercial and sales, at the company's stand here at MEBA (Stand C100).

Since its founding in 2007 as what Fouad termed "the first private jet company in Egypt," Smart has grown from two Cessna Citation Model 680 Sovereigns to a fleet of five Sovereigns and a recently delivered King Air 350i. The company is hoping to build on that growth at MEBA.

"We are here seeking cooperation with other private jet companies, because sometimes I don't have [charter aircraft] availability," Fouad said. "So they can take our aircraft [when they need additional lift to meet demand] and we can take theirs."

Smart is also looking for medical transportation companies seeking an air ambulance partner in Egypt. Two of the Smart Aviation's Sovereigns are configured for medical flights.

"They have all the high-tech medical equipment, and a doctor and nurse onboard," said Fouad. "They can fly up to seven hours, so we are covering all of Europe, all of the Middle East and most of Africa."